10 Kitchens by Lucy Payne

You can learn a lot about a person from their kitchen. That's what illustrator Lucy Payne came to understand after creating several studies of her own kitchen." I realised what a personal and unique domain it is," she says. "I wanted to see what other people’s kitchens meant to them."

Payne, a student at the Glasgow School of Art, put out a call on the Scottish Women’s Institute's Facebook page, asking strangers to let her draw their kitchens. The response was surprisingly positive. "People I didn't know welcomed me with open arms into their most private, domestic sphere," she says.

10 Kitchens by Lucy Payne

Payne ended up visiting, and sketching, the kitchens of 10 strangers. She's collected these illustrations in a digital tabloid newspaper, 10 Kitchens. She chose newsprint because it allowed space for her big, colourful drawings. "It was also a cost-effective way to print a large quantity," she says. "And I like the traditional, tactile feeling of newspaper."

10 Kitchens by Lucy Payne

"Each drawing session lasted around 2 hours," Payne says, "during which time I made multiple A3 sketches. Some people stayed and chatted throughout my visit and some left me to it – even leaving me alone in their house! I admired this trust and openness."

10 Kitchens by Lucy Payne

"With those who stayed, I found 2 hours provided a small, intense block of time in which to get to know the person. Some people played music, others fed me samosas and biscuits – all made me a cup of tea."